Lover's Pained Separation
by Digidynasty
Summary: This takes place after Miaka goes home, but from Tamahome's POV. It also explains why Miaka saw Tamahome in her room like she did. Was it really an illusion? ^_^ My second fic, please review!


Lover's Pained Separation

Lover's Pained Separation

Taiitsukun and three of the four Suzaku Seven sat in a diamond shape around their Priestess.Concentrating their power, the four opened a channel between their world and the other world.

Nuriko, Hotohori, and Tamahome, were three celestial warriors who had grown fond of Miaka, their Priestess, and so were here now to return her to her world, so she could regain her health.

With enough energy, a red light surrounded Miaka and she disappeared.

The room was silent and it was a while before Tamahome opened his eyes.His heart sank when he saw the spot where Miaka had just been…empty."That's it, then."He said sadly, standing up.

Nuriko stood up and put a hand on his shoulder."It was for the best. Staying here might have killed her."

Tamahome nodded, but the words did nothing to dull his yearning.

Hotohori joined them. "She will return.She is still the Priestess of Suzaku.She will save us."

Tamahome clenched his fists._She wasn't **just** the Priestess of Suzaku.She was someone special.Life without her…just wouldn't be life at all._

__"Now then, we must tend to you two."Taiitsukun said, bringing the warrior's attention back to reality."My servants will take you to your temporary quarters and heal your wounds."

Hotohori and Nuriko nodded, allowing the little midget girls to take them away.Tamahome, though, turned to Taiitsukun."Will she come back?"

Taiitsukun looked at the young man before her.His energy, though, half diminished, seemed to dimmer by each passing moment since the Priestess of Suzaku left this world.She hung her head."I don't know."

Tamahome sighed."I see…"

"But do not worry."She added. "If you two are truly meant to be together, then she will return."

Tamahome nodded and retreated back to his quarters.

Three little midget girls put some medicine on his open wound, over his heart, and redressed the bandage.

"Open wound matched pain in heart!"One exclaimed.

"He misses the Priestess!"Another said.

"We will help him!"Yet a third added.

Tamahome gasped.Was he _that_ obvious?He stared at them in disbelief."What do you mean?"

The three giggled and made a small circle, exchanged whispers, and turned to face Tamahome once again.

"We made this for you!"

"Make you feel happy!"

"It is the Priestess!"

Tamahome took what they offered him and smiled at the resemblance.It was a hand size doll with red-brown hair in a small brown uniform."Miaka…" Hs said fondly.He looked up with a smile."Thank you.I won't forget this and I will always cherish it."

"We have one more thing we want to give!"

Tamahome frowned."What?"

One of them held her hands close to her heart and the other two put their hands in the air.Red sparkles encircled them and a red light shone in the middle, forming an object.

Tamahome squinted, until the light grew down and dimmed once more.

"Here you go!"They gave him the second object, which was a thin gold chain, with a single red feather intertwined on it.

"That's one of Suzaku's feathers!"

"Feel the Priestess' aura!"

Tamahome held the necklace close to his heart, closed his eyes, and he smiled.They were right.He could feel her presence radiate from the ornament.A pleasant warm feeling spread throughout his body, as his soul mingled with hers.

He thought of her, until he fell into a pleasant slumber, at which time, the three girls tucked him in and let him be.

Once the three returned to the palace, Hotohori resumed his duties as emperor, and had allowed Nuriko and Tamahome to stay in the palace, more Tamahome than Nuriko, since Nuriko lived their anyway as a part of His Highness' Harem.Both men agreed to keep Nuriko's true identity a secret for the time being.

Tamahome would eat and sleep, but other than that, he wouldn't really pay attention to anything around him.He would think of Miaka and feel her aura through the necklace he had received, imagine her smile and goddess looks through the doll, and wish and pray that he could be with her.It just didn't seem fair that he couldn't be with her, to see her well and safe day in and day out.

It was true he hadn't accepted her love proclamation when he had first heard it, because it had shocked him.No one had ever said such a thing and he didn't know what to say in return.He wanted to say, "I love you too, Miaka, and I'll do anything to see you happy".But he didn't.He had denied her and she had fainted.

He had worried for her those days that she was either barely conscious or not conscious at all.And he worried for her now.Alone in his room, Tamahome looked at the doll and closed his eyes._Miaka…_

_Tamahome…_

__His eyes shot open, hearing the voice of the one her cared about. There, sitting in front of him, was Miaka.She was wearing an adorable outfit, with her hair in a ponytail.(Try and see where I got this from ^_~)She was bent over a desk, writing down some words.She looked worried.

He smiled and came up behind her."Miaka…what's wrong?"He faced her and leaned over on the desk.

She faced him with a surprised expression."Tamahome?"She reached out to him…

"Tamakins!!"Nuriko threw open the door, breaking it in the process and ruining Tamahome's concentration."Hee hee…oops?"

The illusion/connection disappeared and Tamahome fell forward, face first into the ground.

Nuriko sweat dropped."What are you doing on the floor?"

Tamahome got up with a bandaged face. "I wasn't doing anything!You didn't have to barge in here so suddenly!!"

"Well what _were_ you doing then?" Nuriko asked, not threatened by Tamahome's anger.

Tamahome froze and turned around."I was talking to-," She was gone."Miaka?Miaka!"He frantically searched the room for the lithe girl he had seen just moments before.

Nuriko watched on with a worried expression._He is really loosing it._"Tama, she isn't here."

"Yes, she was!"The boy retorted."She was right here!"

Nuriko sighed."I came to tell you His Highness called us for a meeting."He paused."If you aren't feeling well I can tell His Highness…"

"I'm not sick!She was here!"He ran past Nuriko and out the door.

"Tamahome!"He called out, but his fellow warrior was already out the door and out of the palace walls."Dammit!He's gonna get himself killed!"He threw off his extra clothes, until he had on a comfortable robe, looking more like a boy than before.He tied his hair in a quick braid and ran after Tamahome.

Tamahome ran and ran, not really having any idea where he was going, but not wanting to stop.He felt so incomplete with _her_ here it was driving him nuts!Just being in the palace reminded him of her. 

He collapsed under a tree, soaked, because it had started to rain and he was just noticing it. He shivered as the wind picked up.

Was what he had seen before an illusion?He could have sword it was the real thing.Was that doll some sort of connection between him and Miaka between worlds?Had he seen the real Miaka and what she was going through now?

He fingered the necklace._Miaka…_

__"Tamahome!"Nuriko came running up the hill to the tree.

Tamahome looked up."N…Nuriko?"

"Are you crazy?You're going to catch a cold if you run around in this storm!"He wrapped a blanket around Tamahome and helped him to his feet.

He thought for a moment."Crazy?Hmm…I am crazy."

Nuriko blinked."Huh?"

Tamahome turned to him."I'm crazy.Crazy in love with Miaka!"

Nuriko gasped."Tamahome…"

"I just realized it!I'm in love with Miaka!"Tamahome exclaimed.

"Wee, why don't we get out of the rain and get back to the palace, huh?" Nuriko suggested.

Tamahome smirked and threw the blanket at Nuriko."Race ya!"

Nuriko growled and threw off the blanket, only to see Tamahome getting a head start."Hey no fair!Get back here!"He raced after him, back to the palace.

A few weeks later, Nuriko went to check on Tamahome, but only found him lying in bed, once again in a daze.

"Tama?"He questioned carefully.

"She's not here…she hasn't come back.Almost three months and she hasn't returned."He said in a choked voice.His eyes were red and his face was covered in dried tears.

Nuriko walked in slowly and sat at the foot of the bed."You know what she feels for you.She will return.You can't give up-,"

But I denied her. I told her I didn't love her.What if she doesn't ever come back?"Tamahome asked slowly, fearing what he just said would actually become a reality.He would never again be bathed in the warmth of her aura, the two mixing and swirling as though they were part of a whole.One soul in two bodies…soul mates.

Nuriko patted him on the back. "You still have family, don't you?"

Tamahome froze."Yuiren!Chuei!Shunkei!Gyokuran!Father!I've totally neglected them!"

Nuriko blinked. "Huh?"

Tamahome jumped up and gathered his few belongings."I've got to go back!"

"Go where?"

"To the country!I have to make money and make sure they are all okay!"What about Miaka?"Nuriko pointed out, but it was too later.Tamahome was out the door and gone.

Five days later the Priestess of Suzaku returned and found her love gone.She and Nuriko would travel out and find the lonely warrior and one soul, would be united once more.


End file.
